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Lafayette resident Erica Sodos, a professional enchantress, blends into her costume closet Monday, March 5. Sodos has made a career out of magic and has aspirations to take her act to the next level. (Doug Pike/Colorado Hometown Weekly)

Shortly after moving to Colorado eight years ago, Old Town Lafayette resident Erica Sodos -- then a budding actor and magician straight out of San Francisco -- attended a magic convention in Fort Collins and made two immediate observations.

"At the convention, I noticed two things," Sodos said. "One, there were only a handful of females. There was a niche there for me. And two, I realized my mission has always been to inspire people and move them out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. What better way than through magic?"

Since then, Sodos has dedicated herself to her craft, branding herself as a magical enchantress and making a living off her performance.

While Sodos performs magic, she said the magician label didn't fit.

"When people hear 'magician,' they just picture somebody pulling a quarter out of your ear," Sodos said. "But when you hear 'magical enchantress'... am I right? When you're in a state of enchantment, anything is possible."

That's the allure of magic, Sodos said.

"In my magic, I play different characters and use all my acting skills," said Sodos, who also does community theater. "Acting is my foundation. I'm a performer, but I see performers as shaman. I think entertainment for entertainment's sake isn't enough. I want to empower people into believing in their own magic."

Sodos has always believed in her own magic. As a young child, she got a magic kit and performed shows for a penny a head.

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Today, she keeps a busy but sporadic schedule, performing at festivals -- including Lafayette's own Peach Festival and Celebrate Lafayette in past years -- as well as schools, libraries, restaurants, etc.

On Sunday, March 4, she performed as a magic fairy at a kids' party in Aurora. And on March 31 she will perform a dinner show at Denver's Mercury Café.

"My work ebbs and flows, but I'd say 90 percent of my work is repeat customers and word of mouth from those customers," she said. "But I'd like to expand and do some things like motivational magic for corporations or opening for bands, things like that."

Sodos, who moved to Lafayette a little more than a year ago, said while she enjoys Lafayette's creative culture, she hopes her career allows her to see the world.

"I would love to travel the world doing my full-length show," Sodos said. "Or maybe headline at a big Las Vegas casino for three months. I want to be known and respected. When people think of female magicians, I want them to think of me." Sodos said she's played to crowds as large as 900 and loves large audiences, but still loves the personal interaction of smaller venues."Close-up magic is really powerful. I get a lot of people who, after seeing a trick up close, say things like, "Ok, now I'm really weirded out," she said. "And they always ask me questions. Deep questions. A lot of people think I'm like one of those psychics. I'm very intuitive, but I'm also a performer."

Still, Sodos definitely believes in the healing power of magic.

"I think, to a lot of people, magic is really inspirational. A lot of my presentation, my message, is meant to get people thinking," Sodos said. "I do a lot of escapes, which is very metaphorical.

"I want my magic to be used for good. If I could stop global warming with my magic, I would."

While Sodos is an accomplished performer in her own right, she said watching others perform is still an inspiration to her."As a magician, just because I know how a trick is done doesn't mean it's not amazing because there's showmanship," she said. "That's what makes a great performer. And often, when I see something phenomenal, I don't want to know how it's done. It takes the magic out of it."

For more information on Sodos and upcoming performances, visit ericasodos.com.

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